Daily

January 04, 2011

I am not a resolution-making person. Sure, I should exercise more often and eat better and watch less television and read more books, but those are always there and they feel so obligatory. And how do you measure things like less television and eating better anyway--how do you measure success? After all, you can either feel really successful if you walk for 30 minutes one day a week (if you haven't been exercising regularly) or like an utter failure for not getting in at least an hour a day, seven days a week. I don't need to set myself up to fail so early in the year. Or ever.

I would, however, like to set a couple of reasonable goals. Goal sounds better than resolution, doesn't it?

Cook more. It's not that I don't cook. I really do. But sometimes I get stuck in a bit of a food rut and I think I need to branch out a bit more. I have an enormous stack of recipes that I'd like to try, but I never seem to get around to it. I was going to set a goal of trying out 52 new recipes this year--one a week should be doable--except I rarely turn on the oven during the summer months when it starts to get hot and humid, so I'll cut that in half and say 26 new recipes (or variations to recipes I've already tried). Anything beyond that is a bonus.

Take more pictures. I enjoy photography, but thanks to some early, less than constructive criticism, I tend to be ridiculously hard on myself about my images. Fortunately I'll be making all of those new recipes, so I'll have something on which to focus my photographic efforts. By the end of the year I'd like to have 20 photographs--not all of which need to be food--that I like well enough to print and frame. This goal is much more difficult than the first one.

I've already made progress on the first goal: lemon curd (which was a fail and will need to be revisited) and homemade pop tarts (which have been deemed a success by the folks who tested them out, so that will need to be revisited again too).

Of course, I'd like to work on the more exercise and reading goals, too.

November 02, 2010

It's election day. The polling places in Missouri open early enough that I could vote before work and not be late, but that would require I get up earlier than usual, and I'm not a big fan of getting up early. Besides, assuming I don't work too late, I have enough time to vote after work too, so that is a better plan, and what I did today.

My polling place is conveniently located on my way to and from work, but when I pulled into the parking lot there were no cars there, and instead of last-minute campaigners staked out on the sidewalk, there was just a sign that said if you were in District A, go to some other place to vote, or if you were in District B, go somewhere else instead. (The districts are actually numbered, not lettered, but you get the idea.) I don't know what district I'm in--I always just go to the address on the reminder card they mail out before every election, and it's been at the same place since I moved here. Except I did not receive a reminder card this time, which should have been my first hint that something was amiss.

I went home and called the Jackson County Election Board to find out where my new polling place is located. After about five minutes on hold, the woman who answered looked up my name, confirmed my address, and told me where to go. No problem. It was getting late, but there was still about an hour before the polls closed, so I drove to the address she gave me. I had my ID handy and they pointed me to the poll worker with the correct binder, but to my surprise, I wasn't on the list. That has never happened to me before. I've had them not be able to see my name until I, reading upside-down, pointed it out to them, but I have always been on the list when I show up to vote.

I waited expectantly until someone finally pointed out a table in the back staffed by a young woman on a cellphone--clearly waiting for someone to answer--surrounded by a half-dozen people looking at her expectantly. The woman became increasingly flustered and apologetic while those waiting grew increasingly frustrated. One man was there with his wife and said that although they had registered at the same time, only he was eligible to vote. Several others began comparing notes and reported that this was their regular polling place and they had been at the same address for many years and had not moved. We all learned that while we showed up on the list she had on her computer, all of our voter registrations were inactive, which the woman staffing the table could not explain because no one at the Election Board was answering the phone.

Our options were to A) go away without voting, B) drive to the Election Board in the hopes of working it out in person--an iffy prospect given the limited amount of time until the polls closed and rush hour traffic between here and there, or C) casting a provisional ballot. I chose the provisional ballot.

Every election--especially big ones--you hear about voting problems, and the media talks to people who are upset because the had to cast provisional ballots. I've listened to those reports with half an ear, kind of tuning it out, because really...they got vote, right? But it isn't until you have to vote provisionally yourself that you realize how personal it feels. I did everything I need to do to exercise my civic duty: I registered, I showed up, only to be told that maybe it will count and maybe it won't. Sure, I got the same ballot as everyone else, but my ballot had to go into a special envelope, and then I had to drop it into a separate ballot box, where after some days or weeks of investigation they will determine that the error was theirs and finally open the box to tally my vote. Except by then the results will already have been determined and announced and certified, meaning my vote really did not count at all. That feels personal to me.

November 01, 2010

I have 4 days left to figure out how much money I want to commit to flexible spending for health care expenses next year. Which means I have to compile the receipts I've been hoarding to figure out how much I've spent so far and then predict how healthy or ill I will be next year, relative to this year.

This is so much fun [she says, dripping with sarcasm]. I don't know why I don't do this every evening.

October 11, 2010

There are people who put away their tools as soon as they finish using them and can, therefore, always locate exactly what they are looking for. There are also those who set everything down right where they were using them and then have to remember where the last project was when they were using the tool they now need.

I am sad to admit that I fall into the latter category, so my tools tend to be scattered around willy-nilly. In my defense, my small assortment of power tools are generally stored away properly, but I cannot say the same for hammers, screwdrivers, and most recently, utility knives.

My washer died early this summer and after we hauled the new one to the basement, my friend asked for a utility knife to open the packaging. I found the knife and we finished the install. Some weeks later we basically repeated the conversation for the dryer which followed quickly its partner, but I couldn't find that knife, so I pulled out the one that is supposed to live with my bookbinding supplies. Of course, I didn't put that one away either, so yesterday I could not find it when I tried to cut book board.

After about 30 minutes of searching all of the recent places I've worked on anything requiring tools, I gave up in frustration. This is clearly an area where I should strive for improvement. As much as I'd love a tool cabinet, after replacing both the washer and drying this year I don't think I'll be getting one any time soon. Perhaps I should aim lower and just have designated place for everything to land, even if it doesn't get sorted out every time.

September 23, 2010

At the risk of sounding like a complete and rabid Apple fan, I have to share this post that has been making the rounds: a blind user describes getting an iPhone. I would never have expected that a sightless person could use a touchscreen, but his description of the the experience is enlightening.

Win sympathy from your library coworkers by telling them that you are too busy to keep up your blog. This works best when it is communicated via your Facebook status updates.

This would qualify as an inside joke in so many ways. I, however, would not be so foolish as to announce that via Facebook because the people waiting for me to reply back are the ones who contacted me via Facebook. I don't think they know I have a blog, so I might be safe posting here.

***********

And finally, if you've really been wanting to get an iPhone and just can't afford it, you could enlist in the Army. The U.S. Army has implemented a pilot program that distributes smart phones to new recruits at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Sill, and is even paying the bill. No, really. For the moment, recruits have to return the phones at the end of their training, but if the program is expanded, soldiers may get to keep them as they move on to their next duty assignment.

June 05, 2010

Maggie Mason of MightyGirl.com has been posting about the progress she's made on her life list. I like the sentiment, but I haven't really made progress on a list of my own. I tend to be rather serious and practical and it feels ridiculous to have a list of things I have no realistic expectation of having any way of doing. Of course, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that, but I still figure I should start with the reasonable rather than the fantastic.

I read this sentiment on my coffee cup yesterday and decided this is a good place to begin:

I did a quick review of the people I know who could teach me how to say thank you in a language other than English, and so far I have the following:

The good thing about getting back into town around midnight at this of year is that the heat and humidity is lower and it's easier to breathe.

The hard part about getting back into town around midnight is there's no way I can wind down enough to go to sleep right away, so at 2 am I am still awake. I am going to regret this tomorrow when I'm trying to make it to my morning appointment.

April 16, 2010

I know people hate calling tech support. In fact, I know people who loathe the very idea of the experience so much that they would rather put up with technology that doesn't work rather than call and have to talk to those people with a script at the other end of the phone line.

A friend of mine is going out of town for a few days, and in anticipation of the trip, I agreed to update her laptop so she can stay on top of her email while she's gone. The hundred some-odd updates went much faster on my wireless network than they would have had I used her mobile broadband card, so I never even took it out of the bag. It turns out that was a mistake, because she called me while I was driving to work and asked what she was doing wrong because it didn't work.

She brought it over this evening, and when none of the normal troubleshooting steps resolved the problem, I called Sprint. The first level of support couldn't deviate from her script, so after about 20 minutes of her going back and forth and describing things that were nothing like what I was seeing on the screen, I asked for the next level of support. I think it's rude to assume that the first line of support won't be able to help me just because I'm in a similar line of work, but once it's clear that the script isn't working, I'm okay with asking them to escalate the request. The next technician escalated my call almost immediately, and I then I had a very nice chat with Brian from Kentucky (aged 32, married, he's gone back to school and regrets not having attended right after high school, and he's a fan of the Cincinnati Red. He didn't mind hanging onto my request for a little longer because the Reds were in a rain delay and he wanted to watch the game during his lunch break.) Sadly, he couldn't resolve the problem either, and we dashed off to the Sprint store that stays open late.

Several minutes after closing, we walked out with the now-functioning broadband card. It may not have been an ideal way to spend a Friday evening, but I get to feel good about helping my friend. And bonus, my driveway is very clean because she got got bored while waiting for call to progress so she busted out a broom and swept the entire drive.

April 10, 2010

I finally finished my tax returns. (Anyone who knows me is completely shocked that I would wait so long. I am known for filing my returns practically the day my W-2s arrive.) Now that that's over, I can spend some time getting the yard ready for the summer.

I'm trying to decide if I want to make a list of all the outside chores that are waiting for me. If I make a list, I can prioritize all of the work and make sure I don't miss anything important. On the other hand, with a list I will see that my list is impossibly long and I won't even want to get started.

Tomorrow I plan to start by picking up all of the downed limbs and sticks throughout the yard from the recent storms and then mow. And apply weed-and-feed. By then I am quite sure I'll be ready to move on to something indoors, because that list is never-ending too.

February 18, 2010

This is the last of the snow pile that started on Christmas Eve. Temps climbed into the 40s today and I thought it would certainly melt, but it's going to remain a little longer. (More is predicted tomorrow.)

February 15, 2010

February 14, 2010

I bought the one and only container of this yogurt/strawberry combo on the shelves at the grocery store this morning, but when I got home I could not find it anywhere. I double-checked all of the bags in case I hadn't unpacked it, I looked in the freezer thinking I'd just put it in the wrong place, and then I searched the car because it could have fallen out of the bag. I even looked at the receipt because maybe I hadn't put it in my cart at the store after all.

I found it on the shelf of the refrigerator with the other yogurt I bought. Hiding right there in front.

February 02, 2010

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means we should expect another six weeks of winter. I know I am supposed to be disappointed that we won't be experiencing an early spring, but this year the idea that spring might only be six weeks away sounds pretty exciting. Somehow, I had started to feel like winter will never end, and it's nice to have the reminder that it eventually will.

January 26, 2010

I was off work last week, and yesterday I left early to get allergy shots. Today I leave at five six (or so) and I cannot believe how long that seems. Shouldn't there be some sort of phase-in to a full workday? Like for every day you're off, you work as many half-days before you're back to a full day?

January 18, 2010

I don't actually need to go anywhere today, but being fogged in gives me a bit of cabin fever. This is the third or fourth day in a row with a fog advisory, but it's not showing any signs of burning off like it did yesterday.

January 12, 2010

I was sick for a few days last week and I slept for 14 to 18 hours a day for several days in a row. I'm glad I just gave in instead of fighting it--of course it helps that we had more snow and I didn't want to face the roads--but I feel like I will never catch-up on the backlog that built up while I was ignoring the world.

I kept an eye on my work email and acted on the stuff that needed immediate attention, but what's left now is stuff I actually need to read and process. Which seems ridiculous sometimes--are they paying me to think or something? My personal email seems to be taunting me though. I've replied to messages from friends and family, but everything else is waiting for attention. I could just delete it all and start fresh, I suppose, but that seems like asking for trouble.

On a positive note, we are expecting temperatures to rise above freezing this week, which has everyone around here pretty excited. 35 degrees is starting to sound pretty good.

December 11, 2009

They have slipped out of my fingers, they have fallen off the counter, I have picked them up by the lid and had the rest go skittering to the floor, or like this one, when I have dropped a coffee cup on it. The consistent theme here is that I manage to break one or two press pots every year. I am beginning to imagine that when I approach the aisle where coffee pots are stocked, all of the press pots scream "No! Please don't pick me! I don't want to die!"

I am down to my last backup (although I still have the larger one I bought at an incredibly reasonable price at the store that shall not be named, but that can be too much coffee sometimes). At this point it would have been cheaper to have purchased the expensive metal model like this one from Starbucks in the first place.

Seriously though, there is no way I can rationalize $60 for a coffee pot, so I think I'll have to learn to be a little more careful. Obviously I say this every time I break a pot, and you see how far it's gotten me.

December 07, 2009

I'm working on a Christmas gift for someone who might just be my niece. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it could be. Unless of course she starts reading my blog at school, 'cause then it's definitely not for her.

It's really cute with simple touches that show a bit of attention to detail without being fussy, and the fabric is both pretty and nice to work with. Unfortunately, the garment also requires a really, really long ruffle. I think it looks remarkably even, but I must admit that about halfway through I started wishing I had one of those machines with the attachment that does the ruffles for you while you stitch.

December 02, 2009

November 23, 2009

Linda and I visited a new antiques place this weekend and spotted this old telephone switchboard. I can't imagine what calls must have been like, but you know the operators knew everything about everyone. At least they were honest about it. Check out the slogan, to the right of the ITI logo:

November 09, 2009

November 03, 2009

I spent a chunk of the day working on images for some training documentation. I'm glad I don't have to write the content this time, because I don't want to see those pictures again for a while. I'm all for losing myself in my work, but I was definitely ready to go when I looked up and realized it was almost 5.

And am I the only one still confused by the time change? Every morning I think I'm running late and every afternoon I want to rush out at the end of the workday so I have a few minutes of daylight before darkness settles in. Why can't we just pick a time and stick with it year-round?

October 23, 2009

When I was a kid we had a set of sandwich boards, for lack of a better name. (They may have a proper name, but I've never known what it was.) They were thin, laminated boards, rectangular in shape, and they were always the perfect thing for having a sandwich at lunchtime, particularly when it was just the kids eating together. Ours weren't this colorful, of course, but even after they were worn from being used as cutting boards and numerous washings, I loved to use them.

Suzanne mentioned that she'd found some at IKEA, so when we went there during my brief visit home, I made sure to look for some for myself. Suzanne tucks them into her daughter's lunchbox sometimes, and I confess I'm tempted to look for a new lunchbox myself so I can do the same. I am delighted to learn they are actually as useful as I remember.

They had two patterns in stock and I bought two of each.

I'm not entirely sure why I exercised such restraint because they take up practically no space in the cabinet and I can think of dozens of uses for them. I am hoping to get some more when they release new patterns and colors. Oh, to be one of those fortunate people who have access to the store that shall not be named whenever they want to go.

October 19, 2009

I bought this quilt years ago for a ridiculously low price (something like $35) and love it, but I realized that some of the stitching was coming apart. I knew I needed to do something about it, but I kept putting it off and just avoided using it so it wouldn't get worse. Somehow, that minor repair felt like an enormous obstacle.

After the road trip I just finished, yesterday it felt like exactly the right thing to do to curl up in my favorite chair with the quilt across my lap, and it only took a few minutes to put it back to rights. It was nice to just enjoy the afternoon without being concerned about how many miles I could cover by the end of the day.

October 05, 2009

October 03, 2009

I told Suzanne I would try my hand at making Barbie clothes for my niece. It took a while gather the supplies, settle on a pattern, and then get around to actually doing it. It's not that I mind doing it, it's just that everything seemed to be getting in the way and bumping it down the list of priorities. That, and the fact I was worried about doing it wrong, which is silly, because we're only talking Barbie clothes here and 10-year olds aren't generally too critical about getting accessories for their toys.

The first attempt was successful and I shipped the results off to Suzanne today. Before I start making any more, however, I desperately needed to sort through my supplies and organize things a bit. It took a couple of hours, but I finally turned this mess into a stash I don't have to dump out and dig through every time a need a snap or a bit of lace. That will make a world of difference.

August 26, 2009

I got caught in the rainstorm and returned to the office soaked. As in shirt, pants, shoes, socks, hair. Fortunately I had a comb and a pair of clean, dry socks in my desk drawer, but I spent the rest of the morning with my pants legs rolled up so I wouldn't keep stepping on the dragging hems, and all day without my shoes so they wouldn't soak my socks.

I started having sharp, stabbing pains in my back. You know, the kind that feel like you are getting an electric shock any time you move. Or don't move. I probably wrenched it while I was trying to load and unload that computer in the rainstorm without it getting drenched, but knowing that doesn't stop the shocks.

Now I am sitting here after everyone else has gone muttering at two Vista PCs that will not install Service Pack 2. Actually, I'm not too quietly cursing Microsoft for their stupid suggestions about disabling services that you need to have running in order to install the updates. I mean seriously, if I am following the troubleshooting instructions for this error, STEP BY STEP, and it does not work, and can never work, that's a FAIL, right?

Of course, I needed these computers last week, so I have absolutely no time to work on this problem that I absolutely must resolve, so going home and just working on it tomorrow is not going to be as helpful as normal.

July 23, 2009

Lately I've been taking a different route home from work. It's less direct, but faster because there's less traffic. The side road I turn onto meets the main road at a sharp angle, so after you turn left off the main road you have to immediately make a hard right to avoid driving into the adjacent cemetery. (This turn sucks in the winter.)

Today I was waiting to turn left behind a truck and a couple of cars when all of the sudden the car behind the truck shot left without waiting for the truck to turn first. Not only that, but it ran up and over the median, barely missing oncoming traffic on both the main and side roads before careening into the cemetery. I was so surprised to see this car speeding out of control that it was several seconds before I realized that it had been riding on the trailer the truck was towing.

When I pulled off the main road, the truck was making its way into the cemetery, I assume to retrieve the wayward vehicle. I still can't believe that car didn't come off the trailer earlier, didn't hit any other cars, or even strike anything in the cemetery. Today was a good day.

July 22, 2009

July 16, 2009

Today I couldn't find my card to check in for allergy shots. I searched every pocket of my book bag, inside my wallet, and even in my pockets, just in case I'd already pulled it out and didn't remember. Nothing. They were kind enough to check me in without the card (I'm sure it happens all the time and I did ask nicely.)

It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, except I also can't seem to find my Sam's Club card. I distinctly remember the last time I used it, but the next time I went I couldn't find it in my wallet. I got a temporary card and made a mental note to put it back in my bag when I got home. Apparently I lost that note, however, because the next time I went I realized I had forgotten to look for it. I don't think I lost it so much as just mislaid it in the house or the car.

This time I actually put a note in my calendar and I found the allergy clinic card, but I'm still searching for the Sam's Club card. Maybe I should check the refrigerator.

July 15, 2009

I received an unexpected package today from my Mom. It was filled with plums from my tree. We all call it my tree, but it's in her yard so it's really her tree. Hooray! What makes it even better is that just days ago Suzanne told me the crop was ripe and quite delicious.

And today is my Mom's birthday, so this is almost like getting to share birthday cake with the family. Thanks Mom! Happy Birthday.

3 empty resealable sandwich bags. I always feel like I should save them if they're not icky, but then I forget they're stuffed in the bottom of my bag and pull out a new one.

ear plugs

generic Mucinex

Target brand Tylenol

5 pony tail holders

Kodak EasyShare DX7630 (old, but still useful)

wallet

brochure from the Wisconsin School of Business. The picture on the front is a great example of a bad Photoshop composite.

a flyer from Photoshop User that I've been using for a bookmark

Receipts and claim form for flexible spending

list of photographs I'm supposed to be taking for a project at work

Normally I wouldn't empty it out just to take inventory, but this
morning I discovered some wear on the strap and I'm afraid it's going
to break soon. The bag is about 20 years old, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I'm not ready to stop retire it.

I'll have to go shopping in my closet tonight, but I think don't have any backup bags left. I may have to resort to a backpack.

June 09, 2009

The neighbor lost a very large tree limb in today's storm, but fortunately, it does not appear to have landed on the house or the awning. I don't envy him the task of getting it cleared away.

And now it's starting to rain again. We're expecting storms overnight again tonight and possibly strong storms (Including hail. I don't like hail.) tomorrow afternoon. Don't you just love living in the Midwest?

May 16, 2009

I saw this at a local antiques store today: a silver-plated telephone handset cover. I've never seen anything like. It would be perfect gift for the person who has everything (after polishing away the tarnish, of course).

April 25, 2009

April 06, 2009

I'm hanging out in the parking lot outside my building waiting for the AAA guy to arrive to change a flat for me. Judging by the nail in my tire, it appears that I've been felled by the dreaded road hazard. Yes, in theory I could do it myself. But I've never actually changed a tire myself and it's cold out there. Besides, I've been a member of AAA for 7 years and, other than helping a friend who got locked out of her car, I've never called them before. I want to feel like I'm getting something for all that money I've been paying them every year.

I can't say that I'm excited to have a puncture, but as new tires were already on my list for this spring, the timing could have been much, much worse.

And surprise, surprise, there's actually a great wireless signal out here in the parking lot. Nothing in my office, but at least I can browse the web from my car.

March 26, 2009

Several years ago, just as Steve and I were splitting up, I received a phone call at home where the female caller addressed me by name and threatened me. She told me that Steve "was her man" and she was going to come over and, to put it more politely than she did at the time, cause me bodily injury. I doubt she got the response she wanted because it's not like I was going to get into a verbal spat with a stranger over my husband when we were getting a divorce. Besides, how did I know that he wasn't involved with her? She called back a couple more times to threaten me some more, and then it was quiet until a car pulled up in front of the duplex and started honking. I peeked through the blinds on the front door and watched as the driver and a passenger climbed out and made a nuisance of themselves for several minutes before they finally went away.

I'll admit I was pretty freaked out. My life had been turned upside-down only hours before and now someone was threatening me? I have no doubt that I would have suffered some manner of bodily injury if I'd gone outside, particularly as I was effectively outnumbered. We did establish, however, that Steve did not have a girlfriend who was making menacing phone calls and it never happened again. I suspect the caller got the information--our names and address--from the phone book and this was a New Year's Eve prank. Scary, but no harm done. (For the record, I do not list my full name or address in the phone book now.)

For the past few days I've been receiving phone calls at home from an unknown number: 817-302-0293. The caller ID information lists the caller name as TX, which isn't particularly helpful and calling the number back just gets a busy signal. If I don't pick up, there is no message, and when I did pick up, the female caller asked for me by name and then promptly hung up. It was late evening and I was pretty creeped out. I had, after all, just confirmed that I was home, and I felt very vulnerable.

Apparently I'm not the only one experiencing this, because a Google search on the phone number came up with plenty of hits. I think this number is from DSS Research, who coincidentally, sent me a couple of surveys in the mail recently asking me about my health insurance. I guess they don't take rejection well, because now they're calling. I was all prepared to contact the company until I realized there's a technological solution that doesn't cost me any extra or require that I navigate an endlessly complex call-handler: Call Block. I feel much better knowing their calls won't be ringing through any more.